12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1 Peter 2:12

This verse is certainly a tall order, isn’t it?

Peter’s not asking you to be “holier than thou” as some might put it.

In the previous verses, Peter told us what to abstain from. Here he is telling us how to live.

Our moral code should be above reproach. Recall in a few passages the moral codes laid out for pastors and leaders (1 Timothy 5:19-25, 1 Timothy 3:2 and others).

While those certainly apply to leaders because they are ministering to the souls of men and women, it is also relevant to us. While those verses are required for leadership, they also provide guidance to us for living godly lives.

In other words, why should it apply only to leadership? It shouldn’t.

Now, will others accuse you of wrongdoing? Certainly, but we don’t need to give them ammunition by being belligerent, deceitful, rude, or spiteful, to name a few characteristics.

People are watching us to see if what we have is better than what they have. Give them reasons to watch us even more closely.